Representative Ken Calvert awarded Cruelty Free International Legislator of the Month

Support the HEARTS Act to prioritise non-animal research in the US

US Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA) has been awarded our Legislator of the Month award for February 2022. Representative Calvert receives his award for his leadership on the Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act [The HEARTS Act (H.R. 4101)]. He has been the lead Republican cosponsor on the bill since it was first introduced in 2019, alongside Democrat, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA).

The HEARTS Act will prioritize and incentivize the use of non-animal research methods in research funded by the US National Institutes of Health, increasing the humaneness and effectiveness of science in the US.

“With a growing number of scientifically sound, non-animal testing alternatives, taxpayer-funded research should prioritize alternative methods whenever possible,” said Rep. Calvert. “The HEARTS Act would take another meaningful step in protecting animals from unnecessary use in federally-funded research. This bill is a win for animals and taxpayers alike.”

Monica Engebretson, our Head of Public Affairs North America, said: “Congressman Ken Calvert has long been a leader in advocating for the replacement of animals in research and testing. With his co-sponsorship of the HEARTS Act he has continued to push for a transition to modern non-animal research methods and to hold the NIH accountable to US taxpayers who broadly support the goals of the legislation.”*

US residents can help advance the HEARTS Act by contacting their Representative and asking that they become a cosponsor of the bill. Find your Representative and make contact via our website below.

*According to a 2019 SurveyUSA nationwide poll, 79 percent said that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should prioritize research proposals that utilize scientifically valid alternatives to animal testing. Similarly, 80 percent said that medical researchers seeking funding for animal tests should first be required to show that an alternative is not available.